Q: I'm a US citizen, but I got divorced in a foreign country. How do I get that recognized in Virginia?
The principles of comity (what I understand of it) were met (i.e. notice was given and the spouse filing for divorce had residency there).
What do I have to do to get that divorce registered here in Virginia where I live? Do I need to file something, get a foreign order registered, or do a whole second divorce through my county's court? Or do I have to do anything at all, just indicate on my next tax return that I'm filing single and that's it?
Thank you for the help.
A: If a valid divorce is granted in a foreign country there generally is no requirement to have the order registered in Virginia. Virginia, under principles of comity as you have mentioned, generally recognizes foreign orders so long as they don't violate an important Virginia public policy. There are reasons to have a foreign order registered though. For instance, If a person wishes to enforce a foreign child custody or support order, the foreign order will need to be registered pursuant to a process established under Virginia law.
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